As a fan of Porsche and an enthusiast of electric cars, I was thrilled to hear that Porsche was launching an electric vehicle.
Firstly, I was curious about how Porsche’s first electric car would perform.
Secondly, I was hoping that Porsche’s entry into the market would put some pressure on Tesla, as a game is never fun with only one player.
On September 4th, during the Taycan launch event, when I saw the various parameters and suggested prices of Taycan Turbo/Turbo S, which were 1.498 million and 1.798 million yuan respectively, I was a bit disappointed.
Fortunately, Elon did not disappoint me. After Taycan was released, Tesla launched a campaign in Nurburgring, and even unveiled the Model S Plaid that will be released next year, with a wide-body kit and a large diffuser added, with the sole purpose of precisely attacking the Porsche Taycan.
Elon’s move did satisfy my mentality as a bystander, but when I calmed down and took a closer look at Taycan, especially when I got a chance to see it up close in Shanghai on November 15th, I was really attracted to it.
Porsche Design
Taycan looks very sexy both in pictures and up close. Starting from the B-pillar, the sloping roofline creates a perfect curve, “especially when viewed from a 45-degree angle from the front, you’ll feel like it’s a 911 with two extra doors”.
As for the front, Taycan abandons the design of integrating the headlights into the front of the car that Porsche used to use. The headlights of Taycan seem to be suspended in the large air intakes and integrated with the side air intakes, making it even more aggressive than the 911.
At the rear end, Taycan still adopts the typical Porsche style taillights. However, unlike other models, the 3D glass letters forming the “PORSCHE” logo are embedded in a 3D black circuit board pattern. Although it may seem useless, only by integrating exquisite elegance into every detail, can it truly be called luxurious.
Entering the car, Taycan uses four screens to penetrate the entire central console aggressively, but the overall atmosphere and design style are still very Porsche-like, unlike the redesigned interior style of the Mustang Mach-E released by Ford the other day, which shows no trace of the Mustang.
Speaking of this, I also want to chat with all the netizens.
Many people say that large screens are not user-friendly and physical buttons are better. Many people also say that large screens are not good-looking and that all car interiors have become the same with no design language.
However, after seeing Taycan, they all became very fond of it!
So, are people who oppose large screens really because they are not user-friendly or not good-looking? This is indeed a problem.
In addition, Taycan is a pure electric vehicle, and you can start it directly by stepping on the brake and putting it in drive. However, Porsche still retains the classic start button on the left side of the steering wheel. Although no one will probably use this start button in actual use, retaining a little bit of ritual sense is also understandable.
Four screens have surprises and disappointments
I’m sure many of you are very interested in how Porsche’s four screens work. Due to time constraints, and the fact that this exhibition car is the European version and not localized with regards to language and maps, I will briefly mention my actual feelings here.
- 16.8-inch curved instrument panel
It adopts Porsche’s classic round edge appearance, and the combination instrument panel cancels the sunshade. Coupled with the black background, you can barely feel the presence of the black border, leaving only a sense of technology.Translation in English markdown:
Although this screen can only display three dials at the same time and doesn’t have the most classic 5 dials of a Porsche, it can customize the display content, display mode, etc. through the setting button on the steering wheel since it is a whole screen.
I believe that if you have experienced it, you may not be nostalgic for the traditional 5 dials anymore.
- 10.9-inch central information entertainment system display and optional passenger-side display
Compared to the curved dashboard, it is indeed inferior. Firstly, the black border is still quite obvious, secondly, the overall UI design is still in the previous era, and it is too “conventional”.
Fortunately, the operation is very smooth, and there is no lag at all. Meanwhile, the menu logic is relatively clear, especially for friends familiar with Porsche, there is no difficulty in getting started.
- Under the center console is an 8.4-inch touch screen with tactile feedback
The main function of this screen is to control the air conditioning, but it is not ideal to use.
Although it has tactile feedback, this screen is not a traditional touch screen, but a press-type. It always feels a bit slow to react and requires some time to adapt.
Moreover, the air conditioning vents of Taycan are the same as those of Model 3, and cannot be manually adjusted traditionally, only can be adjusted inside the 10.9-inch infotainment system displayed in the central screen. That is to say, adjusting the temperature and direction of the wind needs to be operated on two screens respectively.
In addition, there is a headache issue that these screens are indeed a fingerprint collector. Therefore, in order to maintain the delicate feeling of the interior, it is necessary to put a cloth in the car for a long time.
Endurance is not a problem
For a Porsche, performance must be very important.
Let’s first look at a set of data for Taycan Turbo S:
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Continuous 26 times of 0-200 km/h acceleration performance without attenuation;
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24-hour, 3425 km endurance test at an average speed of 200 km/h;
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7 minutes and 42 seconds, a new record for the Nürburgring Nordshleife.
So it is needless to say Taycan’s performance, and Porsche has never disappointed anyone in terms of performance and handling.
However, for an electric car, endurance is also the most criticized aspect of Taycan for everyone.
From the above figure, it can also be seen that Taycan’s cruising range is not excellent, especially considering its price.
However, if this endurance level is only used in cities, even in winter, it is definitely sufficient. And if you need to run on the highway, Taycan is also fully prepared.
One is that the drag coefficient of Taycan is 0.22 Cd except for the Turbo S model. For comparison, the drag coefficient of Model 3 is 2.35 Cd.
The reason why Taycan can achieve such a low drag coefficient is primarily due to its streamlined shape, which not only brings a very elegant body line but also greatly reduces air resistance.
In addition, the Taycan uses adjustable front air intakes and continuously adjustable rear spoilers, which can not only meet the needs of the vehicle for braking and battery cooling during extreme driving but also provide sufficient downforce. At the same time, it can further reduce air resistance when needed to extend the range.
Secondly, Taycan adopts a two-speed gearbox on the rear axle, which can effectively improve the efficiency of the motor during high-speed driving.
However, due to the existence of the gearbox, it takes up a lot of space in the trunk. Therefore, Taycan’s trunk space is only 366 L. Although there is a little expansion area when the tailgate is opened, the overall longitudinal space is very small, as can be seen from the picture.
Fortunately, the Taycan also has a front trunk with a capacity of 81 L, which can make up for the insufficient storage capacity of the rear trunk to some extent.
Considering the above two points, I believe that Taycan is likely to surprise us in terms of high-speed endurance.
In addition, returning to Taycan’s positioning as a pure electric four-door sports car, its sporty seating position in the front row and the relatively cramped head and legroom in the rear may not be suitable for everyone.Even though Taycan has a strong range, would you really take it for a long-distance drive? Moreover, Taycan’s target market is unlikely to have only one car.
So, is range really that important for Taycan?
Finally, let’s go back to the day of Taycan’s release. Many people compared the parameters, prices, and high-performance versions of Taycan Turbo S and Tesla Model S, feeling that Taycan was already defeated.
However, don’t forget that this is Turbo and Turbo S. For Porsche, when the word Turbo appears, it represents absolute high performance, but at the same time, it also means that this model is not designed for mass production.
And if we look down, the starting price of Taycan 4S has been reduced to CNY 1.148 million. Remember, according to Porsche’s naming convention for models, there may be Taycan 4, Taycan S, Taycan in the future.
Comparing the price with Panamera, it is expected that if the base model of Taycan is released, the price will definitely drop to below one million yuan, even below 900,000 yuan.
Of course, its performance parameters will also decrease. But in my heart, it was never meant to be an ultimate lap time making machine, and how fast it is actually isn’t very important.
And its luxury, its delicate craftsmanship, and its temperament won’t change due to 0-60 acceleration time of 2.8, 4, or even 5 seconds. It is still a solid Porsche.
At that moment, maybe you will change your perception of Taycan.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.